Episodes

Houdini died on Halloween in 1926 and left a will of 23 articles that appears to have been drafted by his own hand. It still did not do what he wanted. In today’s episode of Life’s Third Act, Cordell & Cordell Senior Estate Planning Attorney John Sauter walks through the document and pulls out the planning lessons you can put to work in your own. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time,...

Jimmy Buffett’s $275 million estate is headed back to court, with a January 2027 trial in Florida set to decide control of his QTIP trust. Welcome to another episode of Life’s Third Act, hosted by attorney and CPA Joe Cordell. We focus on the planning side of life, especially for celebrities, and what their stories can teach the rest of us. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, menti...

Dolly Parton did planning for her estate, but conflict still arose after her passing. This episode explains the latest filing and what it teaches about intent and communication. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

For this special installment of Life’s Third Act, attorney and CPA Joe Cordell welcomes Arizona probate attorney Tom Asimo to discuss the legal response behind a complex elder protection case. This conversation concludes our three part series on the Rhonda Lynn Orr case and elder financial abuse. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible esta...

Attorney and CPA Joe Cordell walks through how a 92 year old woman’s life savings became the target in a family exploitation fight. In the second part of our three part series, Joe details the real life story behind our protection planning discussion. Mildred Callahan, a 92 year old retiree in Arizona living with dementia, had disinherited her niece Rhonda Lynn Orr back in 2013. Years later, Rhonda gained control of Mildred’s accounts, opened a credit card in her name, tapped her CD and annuity,...

Many parents assume their children will step in to protect them as they age. Attorney and CPA Joe Cordell explains why that assumption can leave you vulnerable, and what to plan instead. In this episode of Life’s Third Act, Joe lays out a practical message we call balance of life planning. As families live farther apart, face estrangement, and feel sandwich generation pressure, even loving kids may not be nearby, available, or suited to manage your finances and care alone. Joe walks through why...

You can write a prenup that says anything. Getting a court to enforce it is the whole game. In the second part of our two part crossover with the No Judgement Podcast, estate planning attorney John Sauter and senior litigation partner Wil Halaz pick up where they left off and walk through what actually makes a prenuptial agreement hold up: reasonableness, consideration, time to review, and the terms a judge will simply throw out. They also settle the question almost everyone gets wrong, why keep...

When divorce and estate planning collide, most people only think about the breakup, not the paperwork. In this crossover episode with the No Judgement Podcast, estate planning attorney John Sauter and litigation partner Wil Halaz sit down to tackle the intersection of family law and estate planning, and why a prenuptial agreement may be the most powerful planning tool you never considered. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estat...

A real life example can teach you more than a hundred hypotheticals. In this episode, Joe shares the story of a friend’s brother, a 75-year-old retired physician who spent his life saving carefully, built an estate worth roughly $3 million, and never put a single piece of planning in place. Then he had a stroke, and everything his loved ones thought they understood fell apart. This is the clearest look yet at why an estate plan is about protecting you while you’re still here, not just deciding w...

Estate planning is usually framed as a matter of what happens after you’re gone. But as attorney and CPA Joe Cordell explains, a trust may matter most for the years you’re still here. In this episode of Life’s Third Act, Joe breaks down the difference between a will and a trust, why the family you’re planning for may not look like the one your parents planned for, and the one risk almost nobody plans for that is far more likely than an early death. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcord...

When your child turns 18, the law treats them as an adult. That means you lose the automatic right to make decisions for them, even if you are paying for college. Cordell & Cordell Senior Estate Planning Attorney John Sauter explains why parents overlook this moment, and the three documents that give you the legal authority to help when they need you most. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a lim...

In the final part of our three part series on Bob Weir, we look at how the Grateful Dead’s rhythm guitarist turned a lifetime of chaos into one of rock’s most disciplined financial legacies. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

Bob Weir’s business acumen, specifically his management of song publishing rights, is the secret engine behind his enduring financial legacy. In this episode, we break down how the Grateful Dead moved beyond traditional touring revenue to build a powerhouse of intellectual property ownership. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate p...

Bob Weir passed away in January of this year at 78, leaving behind an estimated $60 million estate — but the real story isn’t the number, it’s how a band built on chaos, “socialistic” values, and zero interest in profit somehow protected that fortune for five decades. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

Chuck Norris built a remarkable life through discipline, thoughtful decisions, and careful management of his family, businesses, and legacy. In this final episode of our Chuck Norris series, we examine his 2010 will and the estate-planning decisions designed to protect his family and preserve the assets he spent a lifetime building. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’...

The life and career of Chuck Norris offer a compelling case study on the intersection of personal relationships and high-stakes business success. Today, in this second of three episodes on Chuck Norris, we delve into the early years of his career, examining how his first marriage and his initial ventures into production and business shaped his financial future. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For ...

Chuck Norris is one of the most recognizable names in American culture — but behind the memes and the movies is a disciplined, methodical estate builder who built a $70 million legacy from almost nothing. In Part 1 of our three-part series, we trace how it started. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

Welcome to another episode of Life’s Third Act. In our previous episode, we discussed the immediate steps to take following a loss. Today, we’re moving forward to address the complex legal and financial roadmap that follows—the practical, often overwhelming reality of stepping into the role of executor. Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligib...

Losing a loved one is incredibly difficult, and the administrative burdens that follow can feel overwhelming. In this episode of Life’s Third Act, we move past the headlines to provide you with a practical, step-by-step guide on what to do immediately after someone passes away. From securing the premises and notifying the proper authorities to understanding the legal differences in state laws regarding who has the authority to make decisions for the deceased, we cover the essential actions you ...

In December 2019, a Colorado court entered a $6 million wrongful death judgment against Chris Watts — $3 million for Shanann and $1 million for each of his daughters. It was a default judgment. He didn’t even appear. In this second of two episodes on the Watts case, we examine the legal and financial aftermath of the murders — the wrongful death action, how Colorado’s intestate succession laws directed Shanann’s estate to her parents, and the complicated story of the Frederick, Colorado home th...

In August 2018, Chris Watts confessed to murdering his pregnant wife Shanann and their two young daughters in Frederick, Colorado. It became one of the most watched true crime stories in American history. But we want to come at it from a different angle. What most people don’t know is that in the years leading up to the murders, Chris and Shanann Watts were drowning financially — a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in 2015, over $400,000 in liabilities, and a joint savings account that held just $3.51...

How did Kouri Richins manage to systematically drain over $500,000 from her husband’s estate despite Eric’s attempts to protect himself? In Part 2 of our deep dive, attorney and CPA Joe Cordell explores the financial fallout of the Kouri Richins case and the critical estate planning lessons we can learn from it. We analyze the complex reality of “financial infidelity” in a marriage. From the vulnerability created by the “Marital Unity Paradox” to the specific estate planning defensive measures ...

Marriage is often called a “blind spot” for fraud. In the first part of our Kouri Richins deep dive, we explore how a $2 million secret debt, forged signatures, and a “Deal-Killer” known as financial infidelity created a motive for one of the most high-profile cases in recent Utah history. Joe Cordell, attorney and CPA, breaks down the “Marital Unity Paradox”—the unique legal and emotional vulnerability that allows a dishonest spouse to exploit the person closest to them. How did Eric Richins en...

Fotis Dulos took his own life before he could face a jury, but that didn’t end the legal battle. From defense attorneys fighting for their retainers to the application of the “Slayer Statute,” the Dulos case is a masterclass in how a “bad actor” can drain an estate’s value while the legal system slowly grinds away. Our Marriage, Murder, and Money (MMM) series continues as we conclude our deep dive into the Fotis Dulos story. While the first half of this case focused on the disappearance and the...